Poll yardstick turns into a pain for PM
THE peak body for Aboriginal art centres across Western Australia has called for laws to make it illegal to sell fake indigenous art.
In a submission to a federal parliamentary committee hearing in Perth, the Aboriginal Art Centre Hub of WA says fake and often imported indigenous art causes “significant damage” to indigenous culture and communities and is exploitative.
“There needs to be a legislative regime dedicated to protecting cultural products and expressions,” AACHAWA chair Charmaine Green said. A FAILED Queensland energy company caused serious environmental harm by polluting the Darling Downs with hazardous contaminants despite warnings from scientists.
Linc Energy had been on trial for weeks at Brisbane District Court, with the jury hearing toxic gas leaked from its operations between 2007 and 2013. Linc operated four underground coal gasification sites in Chinchilla.
Linc was yesterday convicted of all five charges of wilfully and unlawfully causing environmental harm. Sentencing has been listed for May 11. MALCOLM Turnbull regrets using 30 consecutive Newspoll losses as a reason for dumping Tony Abbott, but he insists his party room is behind him.
The latest Newspoll, published in The Australian yesterday, shows the Coalition trails Labor 48- 52 per cent on a two- party preferred basis.
The Coalition has narrowed the margin by a point, but the 30th consecutive loss matches the mark Mr Turnbull used as a reason to topple Mr Abbott back in September 2015.
“I regret making those remarks at the time, making the remarks about 30 Newspolls,” Mr Turnbull said in Sydney yesterday.
“But what I promised to do was to provide economic leadership and traditional cabinet government and I have done both.”
Mr Abbott, who is on the annual Pollie Pedal charity bike ride, said the 30- Newspoll test was Mr Turnbull’s alone.
“It’s really, I suppose, something for Malcolm to explain why it applied to me, but shouldn’t apply now,” he told 2GB radio.
Mr Abbott denied he was preparing to challenge the Prime Minister.
“One of the differences between me and some of my colleagues is that if I’ve got something to say, I don’t ring up a journalist and whisper poison into their ears – I say it upfront, openly, and put my name on it,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he would lead the Liberals to the next election, due by May 2019.
“I do have the confidence of my colleagues and no one, by the way, is suggesting I don’t,” Mr Turnbull said.
Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop said Mr Turnbull would remain party leader. “The public are expressing an opinion, but it will come to a point where they will have to make a decision about who they trust with economic management and national security and I’m confident that that will be Malcolm Turnbull,” she told Channel 9.
Asked whether she would run against Mr Turnbull if her colleagues asked her, Ms Bishop said: “I don’t envisage those circumstances at all.”
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the Prime Minister had the support of the party room.
“It’s not unusual for incumbent governments in be- tween elections being behind in the polls, I mean we’re not actually that far behind, truth be told,” he told ABC radio.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham said if polls were to be believed, Nick Xenophon would be South Australian premier.
Newspoll also found Mr Turnbull remains preferred prime minister at 38 per cent, compared to Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s 36 per cent. An Ipsos/ Fairfax poll published on Saturday also showed the Coalition at 48- 52, based on preference flows at the last election.
Mr Shorten said he didn’t define his success by Newspoll wins.
“It’s Mr Turnbull who said 30 Newspolls is a definition of success. That’s his problem,” Mr Shorten said in Perth.